Subject guides

New Zealanders at war

In his book New Zealanders at War, Michael King says that war is an indelible print on the fabric of New Zealand’s past. The country has played its part in many of the major wars fought in the 19th and 20th century. Yet, with the exception of the New Zealand Wars fought between 1845 and 1872, none of the wars were of New Zealand’s own making or fought on its soil.The wars turned ordinary New Zealanders into heroes but the number of casualties was high. With 18,500 dead and nearly 50,000 wounded, the country’s casualty rate was one of the highest in the First World War.

During the Second World War, around 194,000 men and 10,000 women served in the armed forces at home and overseas with 11,625 killed. This was a ratio of 6684 dead per million in the population – the highest rate in the Commonwealth. Britain suffered 5123 deaths and Australia 3232 per million population.

WW100

The New Zealand Government has developed WW100, a programme to mark the First World War centenary from 2014 to 2018. Our WW100 page links to World War 1 content as well as events and activities in Christchurch and Canterbury.

Anti-war New Zealand

While many Kiwis readily joined the war efforts, others did not believe in fighting. Archibald Baxter was a famous conscientious objector in World War I who wrote about his harrowing experiences. Conscientious objectors were also imprisoned here in World War II.